The present invention relates generally to a container for transporting automobiles, and more particularly, to a multilevel container for transporting automobiles by sea and intermodal rail, which interfaces with I.S.O. shipping containers and state-of-the-art double-stack well cars.
Although there are currently several ways in which automobiles are transported overseas in conjunction with ocean carriers, the most common methods involve the use of standard 20 foot or 40 foot I.S.O. (International Standards Organization) dry containers. Before loading such containers onto a container vessel, one or two automobiles are driven into the container, positioned and secured, and packed aboard the vessel. Another method uses so-called Ro/Ro carriers (roll-on/roll-off) wherein cars are driven directly onto the vessel for transport, much like a ferry service. In fact, some Ro/Ro carriers include multilevel car decking or shelving onto which the cars are driven and secured during shipping.
In order to reduce labor costs, prevent damage, and maximize vessel space, it is desirable to ship automobiles on a Lo/Lo (lift-on/lift-off) container vessel that can accommodate multiple containers. Moreover, if the containers conform to I.S.O. standards, they can be stowed and interfaced with other I.S.O. units on the container vessel to maximize the number of automobiles carried at one time.
A disadvantage of the standard 20 foot or 40 foot I.S.O. dry containers is that they can accommodate only one or two automobiles, thus necessitating a large number of stevedoring and lift-on/lift-off operations in order to load and unload a container vessel.